Thirty years after the debut of their Love and Rockets series, the Hernandez Brothers continue to impress readers with their incredible Love and Rockets: New Stories #4.

In this issue, Jaime carries on with his usual cast of Locas characters, following Maggie’s complex love life with the conclusion of “The Love Bunglers.” More than ever, Jaime demonstrates a mastery of line and pacing, making for emotional realism that is rarely matched in the world of comics. By incorporating flashbacks and letting his characters age naturally with time, Jaime endows his work with a sense familiarity, reminding us that his characters have grown and evolved along with the author during these last three decades.

As for Gilbert, he presents readers with the captivating “King Vampire,” a story which revolves around killer vampires. Although I have a slight bias against vampire stories (I prefer zombies since they tend to have more gore and less romance), Beto breaks the clichéd plot expectations popularized by tween Twilighters and goes for a bleaker and more sinister take on the genre. The result is a gripping tale filled with plot twists, violence, and absolutely gorgeous art. Just look at this panel and you’ll get exactly what I’m saying:

With Love and Rockets: New Stories #4, the Hernandez Brothers establish once more their immeasurable contribution to the world of comics. Instead of producing works that are stale and predictable, the duo is creating comics that are as imaginative and fresh as ever. I can’t even begin to imagine what they will come up with next. In the meantime, come on down to the store and get yourself a copy of New Stories #4! You will not regret it!